Carburetor economizer mechanism



June 17, 1952 R. H. HIEGER 2,600,650

CARBURETOR ECONOMIZER MECHANISM Filed March 26, 1949 IN V EN TOR.

Eobe rz 1% H/qer BY a a? 9n M ATTORNEY.

Patented June 17, 1952 UNIT EDA- STATE PAT ENT QF F ICE CARBURETOR. ECONOMIZER ME CHAN ISM Rob.ert..H.. Hieger, Detroit, Mich.-

Application.March-26, 1949, SerialNo. 83,687

'6 Claims.

This: invention relates .tofcarburetors for internal combustion engines;,and1 more particularly to an economizer mechanismi to; enable. the;

carburetor; to supply fuel; to? the: engine.- in' increased quantityv to increasev thepowerthereof;

when needed; 6

Many commercial carburetors. as. now' con.-

structed; include a device; usually referred. to: as; the power jet or economizer; whichv includes-a; V valve controlled byapiston-or. diaphragm subs jected to the vacuum. in the intake: manifold-to; increase the rate offuelsupplytothe carburetor; and thereby enrich the. fuel-air mixture. when,

the throttleis in or. near.- itsfully open position.v

Such device is necessarily subject to leakage;

which may result in: drawingexcess: fuel into. the

induction passage attimes: whenyitgisnotywantedi thereby unduly enriching the 'mixtllre',.withz loss. of gasoline economy.

Leakage through. the: economizer: mayresult:v from defectiveoperation: of. theaeconomizer valve;

either because of wear due to vibration or: bee

cause corrosion or they presence offoregin mate" ter such as grit prevents it from seatingproperly.

Defective operation of the economizer may.

also result from a defective, valve spring; 'I'hus;,. if the economizer valve-isdesigned: to. open ata. suction in themanifold of say seven inches; of T mercury, it-may open ata lower orahigher sue.-

tion, causing eithera waste of fuelor faulty 0p?" eration ofthe engine.-

Defective operationof the economizer may; re.-' sult from various other. causes, and is; diflicult to detect, since commercial carburetors are, so-

constructed that it is impossible, withoutrdisassembling; the carburetor, to apply. a measured? amount of: suction to the fuel-outlet thereof and.

to the vacuum. connection, andl measure. the resulting fuel flow. Also, if leakage; isfound or suspected, it is difficult to remedy by; means of ordinary shop tools.

An object of the-presentinvention is toprovide a carburetor comprising economizer mechanism having improved means for preventing leakage of fuel therethrough.

A further object of theinvention is to providean economizer wherein the valve is readily replaceable and which will not often get out of proper working order;

A further object of the invention is to'provide a carburetor whereinthe economizerunit may readily be withdrawn for testing, cleaning and adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide economizer mechanism which is usable in known types" of; carburetors. in substitution for:-

the corresponding'mechanismpriginally supplied with the. carburetor;

A further object is to provide an. economizer:

- motor-not mechanically. connecteditothe accelieration pump. and"v wherein. all: of. the parts. are contained in; an assembled. unit which can be. installed in the carburetor as such,. and can: beremoved from the carburetor: and; tested: as; a unit.

Further objects and: advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom, thGfOHOWiIIEidBSCfiD- tion, taken. in connection. with the. appended:

drawing, in; which:

Fig; 1'. is a: diagrammatic view: ofracarburettorr and. thefuelsystem thereof showing;.'on an en"-.

larged scale; the device. of the present invention. incorporated therein.

Fig. 2 is an. enlarged. sectional. view of the economizer unit and its: associated parts.

Fig. 3 is: a. plan. view of. the device; shown. in'l Keller Pat; No. 2,537,347., dated January 9,129.51;

The carburetor showninthe. drawing. is ofrthe:

downdraft: type. commonly used; with automobile. engines, butmay be of any. known or suitable. construction. It comprises: abody, 8 forming: an:.

induction passage which includes an;airinlet. HT, a mainventuri l2, and a mixture outletldidesigned to. beconnected tolthe intake, manifold. of an internal. combustion engine, not:shown. The inductionpassage is controlled in the, usual manner by. a manually operated throttle valve I6. Usually an. air. cleaner; such as is indicated; fragmentarily at I8, is connected to the airrinlet.

Fuel is: supplied? to the induction passage from a reservoir 20; which in. the example shown is.v a float chamberhaving a float 22 therein, which.

actuates a fuel valve 24 controlling a fuel inlet 2% leading from any suitable source of supply. Thence the fuel flows through a passage 28 to the main fuel nozzle 32, which discharges at the throat of the mainventuri 12". In the example shown, a second venturi 34 1s. providedto form:

a discharge member for the main nozzle. A metering orifice 36 is provided in the passage 28, as is the usual practice, and an idling fuel passage (not shown) of any suitable construction, may lead from the passage 28 to discharge adjacent the edge of the throttle [6 when the same is in closed position. Suitable acceleration pump mechanism, as well as check valves, vents, and metering orifices may be provided, as known in the art.

The economizer mechanism comprises a cylinder 38 connected by a duct 40 to the induction passage of the carburetor posterior to the throttle l 6 when the same is in closed position. A piston 42 in the cylinder is thus subjected to the manifold vacuum, which tends to move it upwardly.

A push rod 44 is fixed to the piston 42 and ex- 7 tends downwardly therefrom, terminatingin a shoe 46 which acts as a seat for a compression spring 48 which yieldingly urges the shoe downwardly against the force of the manifold vacuum. The structure thus far described is old.

The lower portion of the economizer mechanismcomprises a casing 50 which may be formed integral with the lower wall of the float chamber- 20, as shown, or may be formed as a separate part. The casing 56 is of tubular form and has a closed lower end.

Seated in casing 50 is a body member 52, having a tubular extension 54 which is externally threaded at 55 to engage corresponding threads in the bore of casing 50, to permit the body 52 and its associated mechanism to be withdrawn and replaced as a unit. The lower end of the bore 56 of extension 54' is closed by a threaded plug 51 which forms a seat for a compression spring 58. The plug 51 may be apertured and slotted in the known manner. An annular flange or septum 60 extend inwardly of bore 56 and forms a seat'for a ball valve 62, which is held to the seat by spring 58. The upper surface of body 52 may be provided with screwdriver slots 63.

The upper end of body 52 is enlarged as shown, and is provided with a peripheral flange 64 which seats against a corresponding flange 66 formed on the lower wall of the float chamber. A gasket 68 may be provided between the two flange to prevent leakage.

The upper end of bore 56 opens into the float chamber below the fuel level therein, which is indicated by the broken line 16 in Fig. 1. In the upper end of bore 56 is mounted a bored plug 12 of generally triangular cross-section, but having its corners rounded to permit it to be driven into the bore 56 with a driven fit, as indicated in Fig. 3. The plug 12, and the body 52, are preferably formed of material such as brass, which will resist corrosion by gasoline or by the acids contained therein.

Within the bore of plug 12 is mounted a plunger 14 designed to be moved downwardly by shoe 46, and urged upwardly by a compression spring 16 the upper end of which seats against a flange 18 on the plunger. The lower end of spring 16 seats against a cup 80 which is driven into the lower end of the bore of the plug and which forms a guide for the plunger I4. The flange 18 seats against an inturned flange 82 at the upper end of the plug 12, which also acts as a guide for the plunger.

The lower end of plunger 14 is normally spaced from ball 62 by a slight distance, so that the ball is free to rotate about its own center.

The exterior of body 52 and the interior of flange 66 are so shaped as to provide an annular chamber 64, which communicates with the bore 56 by means of one or more ports 86. The chamber 84 also communicates with a fuel passage 88 which leads to the main nozzle 32. A metering orifice 90 is mounted in this passage.

In general, the fuel system of the carburetor just described functions in the same manner as the fuel systems in known types of carburetors. During normal operation of the carburetor the manifold vacuum is sufficiently high to hold piston 42 in its raised position, so that valve 62 is closed and the entire supply of fuel to the nozzle 32 passes through metering orifice 36. But when the manifold vacuum drops, as when the throttle I6 is suddenly opened, spring 48 will move rod 44 downwardly to a position wherein the shoe 46 contacts plunger 14. A slight further drop in manifold vacuum will cause the plunger to be fully depressed, which will move valve 62 off its seat and permit auxiliary fuel to flow from float chamber20 past plug 12 and valve 62 and thence through ports 86 and chamber 84 to the passage 88, enriching the mixture.-

The economizer mechanism herein disclosed is particularly resistant to factors tending to cause leakage, since the ball valve 62 will ordinarily be made of a metal which is resistant to corrosion, and its spherical shape enables it to rotate on its own center to thereby distribute the wear over its entire surface and prevent the formation of grooves such as are often formed in needle valves and the like. Also, the ball will by its rotation often dislodge grit or other foreign matter which would otherwise lodge between the valve and its seat.

If at any time there is a question whether the unit is functioning properly, or if it is desired to test the functioning of valve 62 under various forces, the entire unit may be unscrewed from the carburetor. A measured force may then be applied to plunger 14 to unseat the valve against the force of spring 58. Leakage of fuel past the valve 62 may also be tested by the application of suction to ports 86, and the apparatus otherwise'inspected and tested. If the unit is found not to be functioning properly, the defective parts may be adjusted or replaced, and the unit replaced without disturbing its adjustment.

The fact that the plunger 14 is guided in the apertures of flange 82 and cup prevents any material misalignment thereof which might give rise to binding or other malfunctioning, and the ball 62 by reason of its shape is incapable of misalignment.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it may be embodied in other forms within the skill of artisans in this art, and is not limited except in accordance with the terms of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An economizer system for a carburetor having an induction passage with a throttle operatively arranged therein, a fuel reservoir, a fuel conduit leading from said reservoir to said passage and provided with a calibrated orifice; said economizer system comprising an economizer body formed with a fuel passage leading from said reservoir toward said induction passage and by-passing said orifice. a valve seat with an opening formed in said economizer body passage, a free-to-rotate ball adapted to seat at said seat to control said opening and economizer passage, a spring adapted to urge said ball against said seat to close said opening, a pusher 5, member responsive to-"pressures within the-car buretor induction passage-on the downstream side of the throttle and terminating at a pre determined distance from said ball and adapted toeX-ert forces pushing said ball away from said seat to upon said opening; a. plunger member operatively interposed between said pusher member and said ball to transmit pushing forces thereto, said plunger member having length sufiicientto bring said ball into its fully open position when; the; pusher" member moves into its fully extended position. but: insuificient to bridge the. distance between said ball and said pusher member in the retracted position of said member, a separate spring adapted to urgegsaid' said-plunger to. limit the movement thereof awayi from, said ball to apositionwhere there is a predetermined clearance at'both ends o fsaidplunger betweensaid-' plunge-rand the} ball? as well? as between the plunger and the" pusher member.

2. The construction defined in the preceding claim 1, with guiding means for said plunger provided adjacent both ends thereof and restraining its movement to movements along a line passing through the center of said ball in the closed position thereof.

3. An economizer system for a carburetor having an induction passage with a throttle operatively arranged therein, a fuel reservoir, a fuel conduit leading from said reservoir to said induction passage and provided with a calibrated orifice; said economizer system comprising a second fuel conduit leading from the reservoir to said induction passage by-passing said orifice,

an economizer body having a bore and interposed into said second fuel passage, a valve seat with an opening formed in said bore and dividing the same into two sections, the first section communicating with said reservoir and the second section communicating with the discharge side of said second fuel conduit, a free-to-rotate ball arranged within said second section and adapted to cooperate with said valve seat to close and to open said opening, a coil spring arranged within said second section and urging said ball toward its closed position, a pusher member responsive to pressures in the induction passage on the downstream side of said throttle and movable in response to said pressures within a predetermined range at the economizer body to provide pushing forces to open said ball, a plunger member operatively interposed between said pusher member and said ball to transmit pushing forces thereto, said plunger member having length sufficient to bring said ball into its fully open position when the pusher member moves into its fully extended position but insufficient to bridge the distance between said ball and said pusher member in the retracted position of said member, a separate spring adapted to urge said plunger away from said ball, and stop means for said plunger to limit the movement thereof away from said ball to a position where there is clearance at both ends of said plunger between said plunger and the ball as well as between the plunger and the pusher member.

4, An economizer system for a carburetor having an induction passage with a throttle operatively arranged therein, a fuel reservoir, a fuel conduit leading from said reservoir to said induction passage and provided with a calibrated orifice, said economizer system comprising a posed into said'seco'nd fuel passage, a valve seat 5 with an opening formed in said here and dividing the samefinto two sections, the first section communicating with said reservoirand the secondfsection communicating with the discharge sideof saidsecond fuel 'conduit, a fi'ee-to-rotate:

fball arranged" within said second section and adapted to seat atsaid valve seat to" close and to open said opening, a coil spring arranged within said second section and urging said ball toward its closed position, a' pusher member 5 responsive t pressuresin the induction passage plunger away'fromsaid ball; and stop means for on the downstream s-ide of said throttle and movable thereby within a predetermined distance range atthe economizer body to provide pusl'iing forces to open said ball, a plunger'm'emher operatively mounted: within said first section of" the-bore to move along a line passing through the center of said ball in the closed position thereof, and a separate spring associated with said plunger and adapted to urge the same away from said ball.

5. An economizer system for a carburetor having an' induction passage with a throttle operative arranged therein, a fuel reservoir, a fuel conduit leading from said reservoir to said induction passage and provided with a calibrated orifice; said economizer system comprising a second fuel conduit leading from the reservoir to said induction passage by-passing said orifice, and economizer body having a bore and interposed into said second fuel passage, a valve seat with an opening formed in said bore and dividing the same into two sections, the first section communicating with said reservoir and the second section communicating with the discharge side of said second 49 fuel conduit, a free-to-rotate ball arranged within said second section and adapted to seat at said valve seat to close and to open said opening, a

coil spring arranged within said second section and urging said ball toward its closed position, a

pusher member responsive to pressures in the induction passage on the downstream side of said throttle and movable thereby within a predetermined distance range at the economizer body to provide pushing forces to open said ball, a plunger member operatively mounted within said first section of the bore to move along a line passing through the center of said ball in the closed position thereof, and a separate spring associated with said plunger and adapted to urge the same away from said ball, stop means for said plunger to limit the movements thereof away from said ball to a position where there is clearance between said plunger and the ball as well as the plunger and the pusher member; said plunger, plunger spring, and the stop means being insertable and removable from said first section of the bore as a unit.

6. An economizer system for a carburetor having an induction passage with a throttle operatively arranged therein, a fuel reservoir, a fuel conduit leading from said reservoir to said induction passage and provided with a calibrated orifice; said economizer system comprising a second fuel conduit leading from the reservoir to said induction passage by-passing said orifice,

and economizer body having a bore and interposed into said second fuel passage, a valve seat with an opening formed in said bore and dividing the same into two sections, the first section communicating with said reservoir and the second 7 section communicating with the discharge side of said second fuel conduit, a free-to-rotate ball arranged within said second section and adapted to seat at said valve seat to close and to open said opening, a coil spring arranged within said second section and urging said ball toward its closed position, a pusher member responsive to pressures in the induction passage on the downstream side of said throttle and movable thereby within a predetermined distance range at the economizer body to provide pushing forces to open said ball, a plug having side recesses and secured in place in said first section of the bore. said plug having one open end and one closed end, a cup secured at the open end of the plug bore to close the same, said closed end of the plug and said cup having co-axial openings with the axes of said openings passing through the center of the ball in the closed position thereof, a plunger member mounted in said plug and having ends protruding through said openings and moving therein along a line passing through the center of said ball in the closed position thereof, a shoulder on the portion of said plunger member housed within said plug and at such location that it serves as stop means for said plunger in its movement away from the ball at a position where there is clearance between said plunger and the pusher member as well as between the plunger and the ball. ROBERT H. I-HEGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

